Hitching-post.



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a. LosEY. HITCHING POST.

(Application led Mar. 19, 1900.)

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JOI-IN R. LOSEY, OF PLYMOUTH, INDIANA.

HiTCHiN'G-Pos'r.

sPn'cIFcATioN vforming part of Letters Patent No. 651,466, dated .time12, 190e.

I Application filed March 19,' 1900. Serial No. 95240. (No inodel.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOHN R. LosEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Plymouth, in the county of Marshall and State of Indiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hitching-Posts; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon.

The present invention has reference to that 'class of extensiblehitching-posts adapted to be let down into a hollow casing below thesurface of the ground, whereby said post will be out of the way when notin use and capa* ble of being elevated into position when required tohitch a horse or other animal thereto.

The invention has for its object to provide a simple, strong, anddurable bitching-post of the above character that can be easily operatedin lowering or extending it, as circumstances require; and it consistsin a hitchin gpost constructed substantially as shown in the drawingsand hereinafter described and claimed. l

Figure l of the drawings is a sectional elevation of a bitching-postconstructed in accordance with myinvention, showing the post depressedorlowered out of the way when not required for use; Fig. 2, a similarview showing the post elevated or extended in position for use; Fig. 3,a detail perspective view of the tubular post, showingit detached fromthe hollow casing; Fig. 4, a horizontal section taken on line 4 4 ofFig. 1; Fig. 5, a similar view taken on line 5 5 of Fig. l; Fig. 6, adetail view of the su pporting-bar which sustains the post when in alowered position; Fig. 7, a detail sectional view, on an enlarged scale,of the spring-actuated latch employed for locking the post in a loweredposition when not required for use, as indicated in Fig. l.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the hollow casing, havingconnected at its lower end a suitable anchor B, which has ascrew-threaded mortise a to engage with the screw-threaded end b of thecasing. lThis casing is secured in the ground a suitable distance, withits upper end extending above the curb or surface of the ground,(indicated at X,) as shown in Figs. l andf2 of the drawings, said casingbeing of any suitable length and diameter as found best adapted to thepurpose. Upon the interior of the casing A is a circumferentialshoulder, which forms a stop c near the upper end of said casing, the

shoulder being preferably integral therewith.

Upon the interior of the casing A and extending lengthwise thereof is abar C, its upper and lower ends serving, respectively, as a support anda stop to sustain the tubular post D in its extended or raised position,as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and preventing it being elevated orraised after lthe post has been' unlatched without rotating the post therequired distance. A

The tubular post D is screw-threaded at its upper end for securingthereto a suitable head E, which may be ornamental or plain, as shown,and thelower end of the post has secured thereto a segmentallocking-flange d, which flange abuts against the lower end of the bar C,as shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

The post D, near its upper end, has a suitable opening e, through whichaccess may he had to the snap-hook f upon the end ofthe bitching rope orchain AF and enable the chain to be drawn out for use when thehitchingpost is extended or raised. A suitable weight g upon, the lowerend of the rope or chain F automatically draws-the same down in the postwhen released or when not in use, a tubular support h in connection'withthe disk ,1I preventing the hitching rope or chain from going too fardown in the tubular post. tubular support h is secured to the interiorof the post D, and although I have shown the support in the form of atube or short section of pipe any suitably-shaped su pport may besubstituted for that shown and any means may be used in placeof the diskt' upon thev snap-hook f, as found most desirable.

Within the hollow casing A, at the lower end thereof, is a spiral springG, its lower end resting in the mortise a of the anchor B and its upperend bearing against the lower end of the tubular bitching-post D, thisspring serving to force said post upward into position when the same isreleased.

The post when not in use is securely locked in a lowered or depressedposition, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, by means of what I term aspring-actuated latch, consisting The ICO

of the bolt I and guard-plate I-I. This bolt I is forrned upon the upperend of a suitable spring-shank k, which shank at its base is seated in arecess l upon the interior of the head E, the guard-plate I-I beingsecured at its lower end to the base of the shank and at its upper endprovided with a hole fm, to enable the bolt I to enter and extendthrough a sufficient distance to engage the circumferential ange n uponthe upper end ot' the holloW casing A, as shown in Fig. l of thedrawings, thereby holding and locking the post D in a lowered positionout of the way When not in use.

In Fig. 7 is shown a detail view of the springbolt, the guard-plate, andthe key, showing them in the position they will assume when the post isunlocked and released from the casing. The guard-plate II, as should beunderstood, lies fiat against the hollow casingA when the post D is in alowered position, the holt I engaging the casing directly under theflange 'n and locking the post against being extended..

lVhen it is desired to withdraw the bolt from engagement with the flangeot' the casing, the key J is inserted in the keyhole in ther head andextends to one side of the spring-shank 7cV of the bolt I, the extremityof heel p of the key engaging a perforation or hole in the guard-plateIVI to support the key in proper position while being turned. As the keyis turned to bring the cam o thereon to the position as indicated inFig. 7 of the drawings the cam when being brought to such position willforce outward the spring-shank 7i; of the bolt I and in turn force backthe bolt out of engagement with the flange u upon the end of the casingA. The post after being thus unlocked cannot be raised until the saineis turned on its axis a suitable distance to bring the space between theends of the lockingflange d on line or opposite the bar C, when thespring will force upward the post D to the position shown in Fig. 2 ofthe drawings, the circumferentialshoulder c upon the interior of thehollow casing A forming a stop against which the flange (l comes incontact to prevent the post from being forced too far upward.

fe y 651,466

actuated post or a post that is adapted to aui tomatically force itselfupward when released maybe used in place of that illustrated in thedrawings.

Any changes that would come within ordinary mechanical construction maybe resorted to without departing from the essential features of theinvention.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, isv 1. A tubular bitching-post, comprisinga hollow casing, a bar upon the interior thereof extendinglongitudinally with the post to form a support and stop at its endsrespectively, a circumferential shoulder to form a stop near the upperend of the casing, a springactuated tubular post having a segmentallocking-flange at its lower end, a suitable hitching cord or chaincontained in the tubular post, and a spring-actuated latch for lockingthe post in a lowered position, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. In a tubular hitching-post, a suitable casing having acircumferential flange at its upper end, an extensible andspring-actuated post provided with a bitching-chain, a suitable headconnected to the upper end of the post, and a spring-latch device uponthe inner side of the head and adapted to engage the flange on thecasing, said latch comprising a guard-plate having a hole at its upper.

end, a bolt adapted to extend through the opening in the plate andengage with the flange on the casing, said bolt having a springshank andsuitable means for releasing thc bolt, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my nainein the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN R. LOSEY. lVitncsses:

CHARLIE E. SLAYTER, M. O. SLAYTER.

